Loyola University Chicago Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

jake

Not all of them. I was sort of "culture shocked" as a freshman at this university. Students here take studying very seriously and a number of them are scary smart. They make for excellent conversation inside and outside the classroom. I was surprised to see just how little partying went on each weekend, which, personally, I don't mind at all. Maybe it's just the crowd I run with, but I haven't encountered a party larger than 20 or so people. The parties certainly don't get "rowdy" like in Animal House. It's mostly just a number of friends getting together for a few drinks. As for this university's political leaning, I would say that it leans center/left. However, maybe this is just my experience since I am a history and poli sci guy and both majors are known to attract "conservative" types of people. The rest of the school seems liberal compared to my major's professors. As for the students being wealthy, I would say that it's not all that true. I think what other people see as "wealth" is simply how we dress. At other schools you can go to class in sweats and a dirty tee shirt. That type of thing just doesn't fly here. When you live in the city, it's best to dress the same as those around you. I lived downtown at Baumhart Hall last year and felt undersdressed outside my building if I didn't have a suit. I also read that 92{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body receives some sort of aid from the uni, so I don't think that this school is nearly as wealthy as some want to believe. The stats definitely indicate that there are more women than men. However, I know that my majors tend to attract more men than women, it hardly feels like this school is 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} female. From my perspective it feels more like 50/50. Don't let the numbers fool you. If you pick psychology, sociology, or nursing as your major you can expect A LOT of women. If you pick history, philosophy, math, or business you can expect more men. It's that simple.

Ross

A Sophmore talks about a stereotype at Loyola. Pretty girls!

Ross

I talk about the gay population at Loyola, and the stereotype of Loyola's student body.

Heather

Not necessarily. Most students work incredibly hard so as to be similar to their parents: wealthy from working hard for their money.

Helen

Yes. Another point, the professors constantly tell us how we're better than other schools like DePaul. And in a lot of regards, this is also true, especially educationally.

Emily

Except for the few rogue students, overall its true

Adam

Many students come to Loyola with pre-med in mind, after the liberal arts core classes though, many switch over to other majors or areas of study. The school also has a great social scene with good parties and local bars. There aren't many guys that go here, and there are many students at Loyola who are gay. That just attests to the great variety of people at school. It really is cool knowing people of all lifestyles.

Moira

some of them

Kelly

Of course not. There is such a diverse student body here that we cannot all be classified into one category. There are devout Catholics here but they keep their faith to themselves and nothing is ever shoved down your throat.

Kristen

Not at all.

Kelly

While there are a lot of students who are fortunate to have their parents fund their education, there are definitely just as many of us who are paying for our own education. It's really no different than any other university. As for all the guys being gay...well we are in a big city and cities tend to have a lot of gay men and women so of course a lot of gay people attend Loyola. I say cheers to diversity!

Sandra

To most people, this is actually true. It's annoying to go to school with the same type of people after a couple of years. However, it is a pretty academic school-- a good amount of the students aren't big party goers, it's actually a good thing.

Evelynn

You'd be surprised. Sometimes I wonder how some people got THIS far. But there are many intelligent people here as well. All in all, I feel like the majority of people are a lot like me.

Kristina

Not quite - I'm not incredibly wealthy, but you will find many kids who are (not that that's a bad thing!)

Parker

There are definitely alot of culturally catholic students here, although I do not attend mass on a regular basis, I'm not sure how many are active in the Jesuit-Catholic tradition at Loyola. There are alot of caucasian students here, you might see greater diversity on the varsity sports teams. I was surprised when I started at Loyola how many students commute or go home on some weekends. That makes it more difficult to build community among the student population as they are frequently absent.

Colin

Not at all. Most kids I know are struggling to pay for college with loans, just as I am.

Meg

No, we do have an active gay population on campus, but the majority of men here are straight.

Tosha

Although many students do choose to drink, there are many students who find other things to do for fun.

Trevor

For the most part

Kim

Somewhat.

Leah

There are a lot of stuck-up rich people, but there are also a lot of people here on scholarship who have worked really hard to get here. Once you find your niche you're golden. I was concerned that a lot of Jesuit doctrine would be forced on me initially, but it's not the case at all. Courses are offered in most major religions and the priests that do teach, from my experience, are very knowledgeable and open minded.

Jessica

No they are not, there is money out there to help pays for anyone's education. There is a higher percentage of caucasians in this school, but this stereotype is inaccurate.

Chelsea

No, our student body is one of the most diverse, filled with students affiliated with many different religions, races and ethnicities. Students of all social classes have the opportunity to excel here with the various scholarships and financial aid packages available.

Katelin

Almost, with a school that is 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} girls, they don't really rid themselves of the all girl stereotype. Basically, if you're a straight girl, Loyola isn't the best decision for you if you want to date.

Amy

Loyola is an okay school, I do learn and I do have good professors that know what they are doing, but I dont feel like there are enough resources to get myself out in the business world. Loyola holds job fairs and we have a career center, but we don't have enough good connections throughout the city. That's the problem...the connection in the city and surrounding areas!

Sandra

The stereotypes are definitely not accurate. There is such a diverse population of people, and you can never put an LUC student into a mold and expect them to all come out the same way. We are all very different.

Kenneth

I am certain these stereotypes are accurate.

Maria

It became obvious that a few of the stereotypes were accurate while others were completely made up. In regards to the studious aspect of Loyola, in some circumstances it is true while others not. It all depends on the type of people you are hanging out with. However, more times than not, in order to do really well in this school, you have to be devoted to your major. The campus life in the Baumhart hall seems to be lacking. I think this is partly due to the fact that it is located downtown, many people have internships, and also the fact that the rooms are apartment style does not help. Instead of a hallway with open doors, the hallways' doors are always closed. Therefore, it is difficult to meet people if you just moved in. However, the school does offer many opportunities for residents of the Baumhart hall to engage in activities with the other members. The sterotype that the students and staff are very religious based at Loyola, in my experience, turned out to be true as well. Loyola is a Jesuit University but it is also very diverse in religious backgrounds. However, it is evident that most of the students/staff have faith and devotion to their own religions, whether it be Catholic or Muslim.

Michael

Although we do pay quite a penny for tuition, we are not stuck up. We are diverse and like any other student body from any school. I also believe that Loyola is a very safe school. We constantly have campus police patrolling around the campus and keeping everything in check.

John

No. Although it is true that there are more women than men, the men are not all gay. This school is in the city, and gay people do commonly live in urban areas. But that is no different than any other forms of diversity at the school. Loyola is very diverse in terms of religion, race, and sexual orientation. And yes, this school was founded off of Jesuit (catholic) values, but it does not effect the common student's curriculum or lifestyle unless they seek it.

Emily

For the most part, yes, but the students' characteristics and personalities go much deeper than what is on the surface.

Blake

Some of them have a factual basis, but for the most part they have nothing to do with the real experience of being a Loyola student.

Andy

1)Partially. Loyola does indeed have smart students, but every school does. Compared do the average public school, Loyola probably has a higher degree of smarter students, though. 2)Not true at all; I haven't seen one yet 3)Definitely not true. This is what I thought my freshman year also, but then I soon found out that there is a HUGE amount of variety at Loyola. The kinds of majors people have is all across the board-you quickly realize that Loyola is not just for pre-med students, but there a lot of pre-med students here. Even pre-med students all have different majors. There are pre-med students with a major in Spanish. I believe Loyola has a huge amount of diversity when it comes to academics.

Tracy

For the most part, I believe that most of the students here came because they are the smartest of their high schools and wanted to pursue a very good education at Loyola because we have great programs. Not all the kids here are what other's perceive them to be. Stereotypes are something people should stray away from.

Dylan

Probably. I am very introverted and anti-social myself, so I mostly subscribe to the stereotype.

Daniel

almost, but not really.

George

YES SIR

Emily

Most of the students are white but they are trying to increase the diversity of the school. A lot of students are religious but I'm not and I didn't feel left out in any way.

Ainsley

not true for rich preppy kids, and true to a huge number of gays

Emily

ya overall they r

Angelika

As far as the girl's being ugly part, I'm not really one to judge. I don't really think so? But then again, I'm not into girls. And with Loyola having a negative stereotype with being a Catholic school, I absolutely do not think of that as a negative quality. I have met some of the most liberal people on campus. A HUGE majority of our guy population is homosexual, which makes finding guys to date kind of hard (yes, I have personally been one of those girls that mistakes a gay guy for straight and faced embarassment when you realize they are not into girls). You will also find specifically girls that fit the "living on daddy's credit card" stereotype, but there are also people that look the complete opposite. I'd say there really is a huge appearance range from "just got out of bed and almost forgot to put on some deoderant" to "I look like I'm ready for my cottilion" apparel for class. No matter what, you'll fit in.

Jesse

Generally speaking, no! For a private Jesuit university, Loyola is surprisingly diverse, though Caucasians are the majority. In addition, there are a large number of non-Catholics at Loyola,and that reflects the diversity that exists at LUC. Being in the heart of Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood can be a culture shock for students coming from small towns and even suburban neighborhoods like my hometown, but being in a big-city environment leads to a sense of respect for others that wouldn't be found in other universities.

Alexis

I think that depending on who you make friends with, the first one may be true or false. There is a certain group of people who only concern themselves with drinking and partying. But most people still see school as a main priority. There are a lot of very intelligent people at loyola. No doubt, there are a few bimbos and people who get in because of their wealth or connections to the university, but most people are here because they are smart and driven.

Melissa

I would say they are accurate, from the classes in which we share our home states, I would say that 85-90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students are from Illinois, which is quite boring. The middle-class to upper-class stereotype is also very accurate. Loyola loves to pride itself in diversity, but I have to say that a LARGE majority of students are white and in the wealthier demographic, especially when they are from the northwest suburbs of Chicago and can somehow afford the ridiculous amount people pay for housing and tuition. And the class comments also on how people act, which is a bit snooty. I must say that I fall under the category of these people, who would rather ride the unreliable school shuttle bus so they don't have to "mix" with the city people, who are of questionable class and such. A comment you hear too often on this campus during any given day would be "I pay good money to go to this school, so I should..." etc.

Rebekah

This is not true. The student body is extremely diverse. Not just with many protestant students but also many students from Islamic, Hindu and other religious and cultural backgrounds. The religious clubs on campus (ie Hillel for Jewish students) are very active with the student body.

Kevin

This is actually not true; The ratio is more like 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} girls and 20{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} other.

Jamie

I don't understand where these smug stereotypes come from: I constantly see students glued to texts, notebooks, computers, or art supplies, frantically compiling all their willpower, time, and wits into academia; one walk through campus and you will spot hundreds of individuals who cannot squeeze enough prestige into their urban hipster bones; and tuition prices rise faster at loyola than its post freshman year student transfer rate.

Andy

Kind of, but there are many straight guys also.

Kristen

Not really, but I can understand why people would say a lot of it. Most of us are Catholic and white, but I think we have a lot of diversity in terms of religion and race on campus. Minorities really make themselves known and it adds to the school's culture. A lot of students are pre-med, but I'd say more are business. We probably don't party as much as the bigger schools or the state schools, but we definitely have social lives. And as far as the study-before-we-party stereotype goes, it all depends on the student.

Paige

These stereotypes are very acurate there are a lot of homosexual guys who attend this school and a-lot of people are very free-spirited protest type. This isn't a state school so people do study a fair amount.